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Why Social Media Pays

Is your company taking advantage of free advertising online?

We are all familiar with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the handful of other social media sites. You probably even have your own personal profile on one of these social sites (or all of them) in order to connect with friends and family, like your favorite products and places, snag some popular recipes or even creep on your new neighbor, whom you have yet to introduce yourself to in person.

Now, have you ever performed a Google search on yourself? Go ahead, try it. Unless you have an incredibility popular name like “John Smith” or you have refused to take part in social media online, you should see yourself show up somewhere on the first page of a Google search. And surprise, it was most likely through one of your social media site profiles that were on the top of the rankings. Why? Because Google ranks sites like social media as the most “relevant”.

So let’s turn this around. If you are getting such great traction from a personal profile on Google then why can’t you use this same strategy for your business? You can! And in fact, companies are and it’s working.

According to Knowledge Networks, 15,100,000 consumers go to social media networks to make buying decisions while HubSpot reports that 71% of consumers are more likely to make purchases based on social media referrals. This is an incredible amount of your prospects already online and using social media to research (you thought it) your company!

So what’s next?

1. Make sure you company is represented on social media sites.

Do your market research. If you are a B2B company, chances are you will get better results with a LinkedIn company page. If your company is B2C try out Facebook pages. Bottom line is: know your audience and target market.

2. Make sure your social pages represent your brand.

Social sites are great for generating brand awareness. Make sure the page represents the “look and feel” of your company’s brand. Consistency is key when it comes to branding your pages. Don’t confuse the audience.

3. Keep a social media calendar.

Don’t just create your company social pages and think that’s all you have to do. Successful social pages are consistently updated. If they aren’t then you lose followers and your relevance rating goes down. A calendar can help your company plan ahead with targeted campaigns with social offerings.

For further best practices and thought leadership on marketing and graphic design, follow this blog.

erikaswanson17November 6, 2013

About the author

Erika Swanson is a professional graphic designer and marketing expert. With experience in the B2B and B2C markets, she is able to creatively come up with unique strategies and concepts that intrigue the intended audience. As a thought leader in her industry, she continues to share her expertise to set a higher bar in the marketing and graphics professional world.